Kaduna: Former Speaker denies approving $350m loan

A former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, has denied claims that the ninth Assembly approved the $350 million World Bank loan obtained by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

DAILY POST reports that the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Liman, on Tuesday, set up a 13-man fact-finding committee to probe all finances, loans and contract projects awarded, as well as other financial spending and abandoned projects initiated by the immediate past government, between 2015 and 2023.

Mugu Yusuf, the member representing the Kauru Constituency, had asked the House to investigate all the loans obtained by the El-Rufai administration which led to the constitution of the committee.

Zailani refuted allegations that the house under his leadership approved the loan in a video posted on X by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications to the Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mal. Suraj Bamalli, on Wednesday.

According to the former Speaker who spoke on the floor of the assembly, “I have been waiting for this day, and the day is today. My fight was not to give approvals of loans. Some of my colleagues were around, and 6 still members of this hallowed chamber, including Isaac Auta Zankhai, the former deputy speaker. They said I should approve the loans. I said no, we need to know how many loans we have.”

The State Assembly also mandated the committee to invite notable personalities including former speakers of the 8th and 9th Assemblies, commissioners of finance, former Managing Directors of Kaduna markets, and commissioners of budget and planning, among others, besides probing all finances, loans and contract projects awarded by El-rufai’s administration.